Regenesis by C.J.Cherryh

Regenesis by C.J. Cherryh is the sequel to the book Cyteen. Ariane Emory is the main character in both books, Regenesis and Cyteen. Ari is one of the greatest clones. She is intelligent and does not have the human flaws that the original Ariane Emory possessed. Throughout the book, Ari is trying to discover who killed her original human. Ari finds information hidden for her by the original Ari to help her solve the mystery.

If you have not read Cyteen you will be confused and lost. It is not the type of book you can start midway into. I would highly recommend you start with the first book. I thought the book started out a little slow. The book has a lot of details and sometimes I felt that I got a little lost. You really have to pay attention when reading this book. I would suggest this book only for advanced readers. Overall, the book was interesting to read. I was disappointed in the ending though. At the end of the book not everything was concluded. I hope there is another book to help tie up the loose ends.

Reviewer Age:16

Reviewer City, State and Country: Lemoore, CA Kings

Lost Childhood by Annelex Hofstra Layson

Lost Childhood is a memoir of Annelex Layson, a young girl who lived in a Japanese internment camp on the island of Java (now part of Indonesia). Annelex was born into a wealthy Dutch family on the island. When she was four years old, the Japanese invaded Java, and her family was sent to an internment camp for Dutch inhabitants of Java. Annelex lived for three years in the camp. She had to live in horrible living conditions, suffering from lack of food, frequent bouts of malaria, and constant fear of her Japanese captures. Lost Childhood is her story of her life in the camp, and how she managed, as a young child, to survive this ordeal.

The amount of literature available to read about life in internment camps is enormous, but each books seems to have a slightly different perspective. I have read numerous books about other interment camps during World War II, but this was the first memoir I had seen about the Dutch internment camps on Java. This book is certainly a quick read, but it is a powerful book nonetheless. Annelex was a very young girl when she when she lived in the internment camp on Java, and her memories are very much those of a younger child. This perspective made the book all the more moving, since life in the camps clashed with her childlike innocence. Her memories of seeing dead bodies, or women being beaten, were strikingly sad since they had been seen through the eyes of a four-year-old. The book, however, is not very graphic, and is approachable for a reader of any age. Annelex's story was poignant, but it was also hopeful. In the end, she managed, along with members of her family, to survive the ordeal and live a happy life. I enjoyed reading her story. This was one book where the writing style, while not perfect, was not very important since the content was what truly mattered. I found Lost Childhood to be a moving book about a part of history that should most certainly never be forgotten. I would recommend this book to anyone.

Reviewer Age:16

Reviewer City, State and Country: Urbana, Il USA

The Circle of Friends: Book 1 by L. Diane Wofle

This is story is about a high school couple, Jason and Lori. They are both seniors in high school. Lori has big dreams of going to the Olympics and winning a gold medal in swimming. Jason is a very talented football player who dreams of someday playing in the NFL. They have to find a way to keep their relationship working even though they are going to attend different colleges. Will they be able to make their relationship last?

This is a great book about two people working hard to achieve goals, but still finding time to spend with the people they love, most of all each other. Reading about them achieving their goals encourages you to follow your dreams. Even though at times they seem impossible to achieve. It's a book you won't be able to put down. You have to find out what will enter their lives next.

The content isn't really inappropriate, but it seems to be written for older readers.

Reviewer Age:12

Reviewer City, State and Country: Cedar Grove, IN U.S.

The Mousehunter by Alex Milway

Emiline is a well-known mousekeeper who has always wanted to go to sea. She gets the opportunity almost by accident while visiting the docks. She volunteers to capture a Sharpclaw Mouse onboard privateer Devlin Drewshank's ship, and he asks her to stay on as his own mousehunter. On their quest to capture the pirate Mousebeard, they encounter fearsome storms, giants, an eccentric forgetful inventor, one near hanging, and all manner of mice. Will Emiline ever be normal again?

Though Mousebeard was a bit of a clich and I found the ending too abrupt to be satisfying, my overall response to the book was very positive. The writing was effective. I could easily see the setting if I closed my eyes and the vocabulary was not difficult. Hopefully the author will write continuing adventures of these interesting characters.

Reviewer Age:13

Reviewer City, State and Country: Lusby, Maryland USA

Wild At Heart by Michael Morpurgo

This book contains twenty-one animal stories, most being excerpts, written by the likes of Jack London, Oscar Wilde, and E.B. White. From a spider that saves a pig, to Noah and his ark, this book provides some well-known excerpts from "Charlotte's Web", "Noah's Ark", and "The Call of the Wild", to lesser known stories and authors. It also contains a non-fiction excerpt from Darwin's "The Voyage of the Beagle". There is also one poem at the beginning of the book, called "The Birds Began to Sing" by Janet Frame. All of the stories contain similar themes: animals.


This book bored me to death. Since all the stories were so short, none of the characters developed. To be honest, I never finished the book, since I was far enough into it that I realized that only a person forced to read this book would read it all the way through. I had trouble writing the above summary. I can't really blame it on the author, Michael Morpurgo, since all of the stories were written by other people but edited into one book by him, but the stories were very dull. I will mention that "The Snow Goose" by Paul Gallico was an improvement from the rest of the book. Rhayader and Frith both grow as characters in their own ways. The topic was interesting and relatively original. Compared to the rest of the stories, it's a masterpiece. It's so great I plan on one day getting the full story, since it was just an excerpt. Even the excerpt from Charlotte's Web can't save this book from dullness, though I praise the author for trying.

I wouldn't really suggest this book to anyone unless they were SERIOUSLY in love with animals, even though I am as well and I didn't enjoy it. Since most of the stories are mostly classics (such as Call of the Wild and Charlotte's Web), I guess a person interested in literature classics would be interested in the book as well.

Reviewer Age:12

Reviewer City, State and Country: Denton, Texas United States

Captain Wentworth's Diary by Amanda Grange

Captain Wentworth's Diary by Amanda Grange highlights the beauty of lost love through the eyes of Frederick Wentworth. The book imitates Jane Austen's novel Persuasion, a story about Anne Elliot, daughter of a baronet in nineteenth century England, and Frederick Wentworth, a navy officer in England's war against Napoleon's France. Captain Wentworth's Diary gives readers of Persuasion a glimpse at the story through Frederick's eyes, and what happens when he leaves Somerset. The story spans eight years, the summer of 1806, when the young lovers meet, and then returns to the summer of 1814, after the war. In the beginning, Wentworth travels to his brother Edward's home for his brief shore leave. He is carefree and young, desiring to meet the pretty young ladies of town and dance frivolously with them at parties. Then his eye lands on the timid but intellectual beauty, Anne Elliot. Frederick admires her mind, her beauty, and her ability to endure such a horrendous family. The couple falls in love over the summer, however the people in Anne's life persuade her that the love cannot last. In frustration and anger, Wentworth flees, back to the sea. When the story returns, Wentworth has risen in the ranks, the war is over, and he returns to Somerset as a captain. He visits all the old haunts, reliving hard memories. Can old love be reborn? Captain Wentworth's Diary is the tortuous tale of past love and future questions

Persuasion is one of my favorite novels, and the primary reason is because Anne Elliot is a wonderful heroine, her inner beauty is as powerful as her looks and her charm. Captain Wentworth's Diary was a much harder read because Frederick Wentworth is not a natural hero. He struggles with his decisions, with his pride, and with the characters surrounding Anne. He becomes jealous of men she talks with, angry with her family, and hateful towards Lady Russell for ruining their engagement. The story is of lost and found love, but does Anne deserve a lost soul like Frederick? His voice and actions cost the story. He was a hard character to like, even if he did love the perfect woman. The novel itself is well written, but Persuasion is a hard act to follow.

Reviewer Age:17

Reviewer City, State and Country: Concord, MA United States

Pease, Love, and Baby Ducks by Lauren Myracle

Fifteen year old Carly attends a private school, lives in a gated community, and can have all the expensive clothes that she wants. But what Carly wants is to be different and for people not to see her as a rich girl. So when her younger sister Anna turns Barbie doll pretty over the summer, it's hard for Carly to create her own image. As Anna begins high school, Carly must cope with a changing relationship with her sister, and rediscover the bonds of sisterhood that have been there all along, even if she couldn't see them.
I thought this book was so cute. Having a younger sister myself, I could relate with Carly. Sisters don't always get along, but they love each other no matter what, which was a major theme throughout the book. Even though Carly or Anna would get into all kinds of shenanigans, they each had each other to turn to for help and support. I liked reading about these two sisters, a simple story of the bonds of siblings. Peace, Love and Baby Ducks is also very funny; I would find myself laughing almost every other page. Just a sweet and heartwarming story that will make you want to give your sister (or brother) a hug.
Reviewer Age:17
Reviewer City, State and Country: Aston, Pennsylvania United States

Freaked

This book is about a teen-aged boy who was great in school... until he got mixed up with drugs. He was kicked out of so many schools that he was finally sent to a boarding school. There, he lives with his roommates who are also into drugs. The main character gets involved with the wrong people and hurts his future.

I didn't really like this book because I don't like reading books with people and drugs; it's a bad thing to get involved with. However, the story itself was good. The characterization was well done. I learned who the characters were and I could picture what they looked like in my head.

Reviewer Age:18

Reviewer City, State and Country: Newville, Pennsylvania U.S.A

Inchworm by Ann Kelley

Young Gussie is a twelve year old girl and already she has endured more stress and life threatening situations than anyone should have to go through. Back in the hospital, Gussie's transplant went smoothly and she now has a new heart and lungs; although they seem foreign, they are very healthy. Her color has returned and she is delighted at the sight of being a normal young girl. She can breathe right again. Nightmares come and go. Friends come and go. She misses her cats deeply. She is going through changes and she begins to wonder if these new organs are what are making her think and feel differently. Her doctor and the pamphlets said that she wouldn't have any characteristics from the donor, but she begins to wonder. It finally comes time for Gussie to go home and she hopes she will be able to attend school. The rest of her life will be full of tending to her new organs so they won't be rejected. All around her are these changes and she is only twelve. The problems that seemed so precious in the beginning are now long gone and new ones she never thought of are arising.

I found that this book was very well-written. I think that the age group for this book is appropriate for ages between 10 and 12. The character in the story is twelve years of age but I feel as if the author is portraying her far more mature than she is. Her words are not mature but her vocabulary is very developed. This book was not a book that I could stick to. I found myself distracted at times. Although I wanted to sit down and read it, I could not force myself. I would not recommend this series of books for anyone with advanced reading abilities.

Reviewer Age:16

Reviewer City, State and Country: , PA USA

George Washington by James A. Crutchfield

George Washington: First in War, First in Peace by James A. Crutchfield is a biography of this nation's first president. Washington grew up in Westmoreland County in the 1730s and 1740s. He was responsible for starting started the French-Indian War, when, as a Major of the Virginia militia on May 27, 1754, he fired upon French soldiers at Great Meadows in western Pennsylvania. The first battle was a defeat. In fact, most of his battles were defends. His only four major military victories in the American Revolution were the battles of Monmouth, Trenton, Princeton, and Yorktown. Washington spent most of the Revolution worrying that his men were fed, paid, and trained and were content during the winters of war. Washington for most of his life wanted to experiment with agricultural methods and build his dream home at his plantation, Mount Vernon, Virginia. The biggest gap in Washington's busy public career was from December, 1783 to the Constitutional Convention at Philadelphia in the summer of 1787. On April 30, 1789, Washington becomes the nation's first president. He enjoyed large popularity. He strengthened the federal government, toured the states of the Union, secured the borders of the United States against Native Americans attacks, and keep Americans from dying on European battlefields. After his presidency, he lived at Mount Vernon until his death on December 14, 1799. Throughout the book there are sub-notes on the parable of the cherry tree, on his wife Martha Washington, the betrayal of his trusted general and friend, Benedict Arnold, Washington's conflicting views on slavery, and the Virginia Dynasty, which is because four of the first five presidents were Virginians.

I give George Washington: First in War, First in Peace by James A. Crutchfield an 8. This book is an excellent compact biography of Washington for younger readers. One thing that struck me about this book is how little of Washington's life is generally known compared to other historical American figures. In comparison to his importance, little is commonly known about the man aside from a few well established myths. The bad side of this compact book is the dry writing style. It would be hard writing a more emotional biography of Washington because he was a non-emotional character. This may lead to the dry feeling of the book.

Reviewer Age:18

Reviewer City, State and Country: Urbana, Illinois United States of America